Let It Burn
by Cliff Zingler
Summary: Updated. Bits and pieces of Mara and Luke's realizations of their feeling for each other. Please read and review!
1. His

* * *

Burning. 

He was burning.

Just the thought of her fiery red hair, or the coolness of her voice would set him on fire.

Almost quite literally.

Every time she walked into the same room with him (which seemed to be happening more and more frequently), he had to control himself from taking her in his arms and passionately kiss her. Each time that he saw her, it became more and more difficult to control his emotions.

_There is no emotion. There is peace. _

But he couldn't even finish the Jedi Code, one of the few things that kept him calm, any longer.

_No. Now I have emotion. _

_I am in love with the woman who once vowed (and still does) that she would kill me._

_How un-Jedi like am I? This woman, this… beautiful creature has me almost wanting to turn away from the Jedi Order. I shouldn't want this. I shouldn't want her._

_Oh, but I do._

Sometimes, he could even see a glimmer of softness when she spoke to him. Oh, he was used to the usual, harsh, "Skywalker… Get out of my way… What's it to you?" comments she would make to him. They almost seemed endearing. As if… she was purposely mean to only him.

As if… she really did care for him.

He violently shook these thoughts from his head.

_No way in this galaxy could the cold, cruel Mara Jade actually care for me that way!_

_Or could she? Force only knows._

His body tensed once again. She's here.

_She's here._

_In this very room._

_With me._

Along with many other people, of course.

_If I could just catch her alone, just the two of us._

_But that's nearly impossible… it's always as if she tries to avoid me nowadays._

_Or am I just becoming overly-friendly?_

He sighed in frustration as the realization dawned on him. So stupid. So naïve.

_I'm in love with her._

_In love with the woman who vowed to kill me._

He could have laughed aloud at the outrageous thought, and would have, too, if he weren't in the middle of a rather important New Republic meeting. He had only come for Leia's support. Otherwise, he wouldn't be here. He had never felt like he belonged here, amongst so many important and yet ignorant senators.

Mara was only there as a representative of Karrde, the now famous boss of his smuggling operations. Otherwise, Luke knew she wouldn't be wasting her time here, either.

He couldn't help but let his mind wander back to Mara.

_I… I love her. I love her!_

He suddenly grinned stupidly, as if in a daze.

He felt someone nudge his shoulder.

"Are you alright?" Leia mouthed to him, wondering why in the galaxy would he be smiling at a time like this.

He simply kept grinning and nodded to her.

"I'm fine. Simply thinking."

_Simply._

_

* * *

For some reason, I am... writing again. Bless whatever or whoever it was that made me want to write again. I haven't felt so good in quite some time! _

So. Did you like? I have been thinking about Star Wars a lot, as of late. (sigh)

Please review, you know I love them!

FIN


	2. Her

_

* * *

I almost wish this burning would just… disappear. _

_But it won't._

Luke Skywalker. Just seeing him could literally make her day. His bright blue eyes are always alive with some type of passion. His quiet stance betrays him ever so often. She knew know that deep down inside, past all that Jedi Master nonsense, that there is a passionate, creative man just waiting to open up to the right person.

Could she be that person?

Sometimes, late at night (hell, anytime), she begins to believe that she is that right person for him. That she, Mara Jade, the woman who swore to kill him, could possibly be the person for him.

And then she shakes her head from such foolish thoughts.

_I shouldn't want this. I can't want this. _

_But I want it. I need it so bad._

_I must let no one know of these… feelings. Especially Skywalker._

If he found out… then everything she ever lived for would be destroyed. A life of guarded solitude is what she has built up. And she was not about to just let everything she has worked for fall apart for one person.

Not even Skywalker.

As she walked into the already crowded room, she nearly gasped.

He was here. In the same room as her.

_What in space is he doing here! This isn't a Jedi Order meeting…_

Unfortunately, Mara Jade was stuck at this meeting as representative for Karrde and his smuggling operations. Nowadays, Karrde was indeed one of the top dogs that the New Republic paid quite handsomely for the information he gave them.

_I hate it when Karrde does this to me._

She felt his eyes upon her tall, lithe body as she walked into the large room, and she tensed at the sensation of having his eyes staring at her.

_Oh no! Why the force did I wear this new outfit – the one with the revealing top and low cut tight bottoms!_

_I can't let him catch me alone. I just can't. My defenses will break for sure if I let that happen. I can't._

Yes, she was mean to only him for that one, sole purpose; she loved him.

_I… love him! _

She smiled suddenly, realizing the most obvious of all conclusions.

_I love him. I've been loving him all this time. All this moodiness, all this confusion. It's finally making sense!_

_How could I be in love with the crazy farmboy!_

_No matter. I am in love with him. And that's that._

_But he must never know it._

_Or surely I will fall._

She frowned, deep in her own personal thoughts, away from the mass confusion and arguing of the many senators and officials at the meeting.

No. Her thoughts were on a certain farmboy/jedi master/man.

Some random senator was tapping her shoulder politely.

"Please. As a representative to Karrde, we need you to stay focused on the task at hand, alright?" he patiently chided her.

She simply nodded.

_The fool that I am._

_To love._

* * *

What do you think? I was thinking of writing some more, expanding a bit (as a fellow reviewer suggested), but am not qutie sure. Tell me what you all think! 

FIN


	3. He

_

* * *

_

_It's official. I absolutely loathe galactic Republic Dinners._

He was not having a good time. Not at all.

All of the music and talking was beginning to make him feel a bit drowsy.

The food tasted terrible, as always.

And there was no one to talk to. _As always._

His sister, Leia was a bit preoccupied with some rather belligerent senators from, what planet was it again?

Luke shook his head. It didn't matter. They all seemed the same to him right now.

He eyes searched the great stateroom for Han Solo. He was nowhere to be seen. But was that a surprise?

He chuckled. _Nah. As much as he cares for Leia, Han wouldn't be caught dead here. Not yet, anyway._

And then his eyes seemed to stumble upon… her.

He gulped for some air, unable to breathe properly. Everything around him seemed to fade away, and suddenly, the only thing he could see clearly was her.

There she stood, quiet and aloof, apart from all the others. Her flaming red hair (the hair which he would so love to kiss) was done up in some kind of unknown style – from what planet, he had no idea. Most of her hair was pulled back into a high, layered and curly ponytail, one that intertwined with several intricate braids. A few perfectly made curls were falling casually into her sparkling jade green eyes.

He eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when he saw the rest of her.

It seemed that tonight she chose a long, elegant green dress to wear. A dress that made her eyes stand out even more than usual. It was a dark, forest green dress. The neck plunged deep, right underneath her chest. On her waist was a long sash that seemed to gather up the front of her dress, showing her beautifully long, slender legs. All the way up to her mid thigh. Her sleeves seemed to wrap around her powerful arms, trailing down near to the ground. He could see part of the back. The back of her dress dove deep down to her lower back, stopping right above her backside.

_She is so beautiful. What I wouldn't give…_

He quickly shook his head out of these murky thoughts and brought his attention to the present. He noticed Mara Jade looking quite bored, standing there. He chuckled aloud when he noticed several starry eyed men desperate to get her attention, but too afraid to make the first move, for fear that she might try to kill them.

_My turn to make the first move._

He casually (well, as casually as he could) walked over to her. As he looked upon her fair face, he thought he saw a hint of a smile on it, but must have been dreaming. All he saw was a scowl.

"What do you want, Skywalker?" she growled, looking positively disgruntled at the sight of him. He laughed a hearty laugh at the look on her face, leaving her quite bewildered.

_Check._

"Well, nice to see you too, Mara. I must say, you are quite the radiant beauty tonight." _You always are, of course._

_Oh, I am, hm?_

_Stop that!_

_Stop what, Skywalker?_

_Walking right into my thoughts! Stop it!_

_Usually I'm the one yelling to get out of my thoughts. Why the sudden change of heart?_

She smirked at him, leaving him speechless for a moment.

_Damn her. Seems she has me in quite the awkward position._

"You know, Mara, you seem quite bored, standing here with nothing to do. Let me cure that," he smiled and grabbed her hand (so soft) and led her to the dance floor, causing her to open and close her mouth like a fish.

_Checkmate. For the time being._

* * *

Forgive me for taking so long to update. Been doing a load of thinking and meditating lately. (go figure) What did you think? As you can tell, the chapters aren't in any particular order. It's more or less thoughts and pieces, if you get what I mean. The next chapter (and the one after, if I get around to writing it) shall be very good, I promise.

FIN


	4. She

_

* * *

_

_I__have never been to a more boring dinner._

She stood there, quietly, pretending to listen to the flick of young men surrounding her.

_Trying to get a glimpse down my dress, more like it. Nerfherders. Why in space did I even think of wearing this thing?_

But she already knew the answer for that one. It was for him. It was all, always for him. As much as she may have hated to admit it, she did everything for him, without anyone even knowing it.

_Best that way._

She sighed and glanced around the room, looking to see if Karrde was anywhere near her. She really needed a familiar face right now.

"My, my. Looks like farmboy does have clothes besides his black Jedi robes," she muttered to herself, sneaking a quick peek.

As much as she didn't want to admit it, he looked… incredibly stunning.

He had a pair of light, sand colored dress pants that seemed to fit him quite nicely, or so she thought. Tucked inside his pants was a dark royal blue shirt that buttoned up, but he left the top few unbuttoned, exposing a nice, well defined chest that had (thankfully) no chest hair. Though he had on his customary black boots, he still looked like a different person. The whole outfit brightened his eyes. If it wasn't for that shaggy blonde hair that seemed to fall right into his piercing blue eyes, Mara probably wouldn't have even noticed him.

He kept a very guarded expression on his face as he was listening to some senator from an unimportant planet (in Mara's opinion). A calm, cool, collected version of himself.

_Ever the Jedi Master, Farmboy?_

_Mara! What are you doing here? Where are you?_

_Oh, just watching your emotionless Jedi Master self from afar._

She saw him grin once he caught sight of her, then chuckled in amusement at the men (who suddenly reminding him of little penguins) gathered around her, staring lustfully at her figure.

_I can't really blame them for gawking at you, Jade. You do look quite beautiful tonight… more than usual, I mean._

This brought a small smile from her lips. One of the very few the galaxy as ever seen from her.

Her smile quickly changed back to her typical scowl as she saw him slowly make his way over to her, all the while a smile on his face.

_What do you think you're doing, Skywalker?_

_Why, coming to lust after the great Mara Jade, of course!_

_You ignorant bantha!_

_Relax, Jade. I was only joking._

_Sure, farmboy…_

She still held her scowl as he approached.

_Damnit. He's already seen too much already. He always has a way of sneaking around like that._

"What do you want, Skywalker?" she growled, trying her hardest to keep the frown on her face.

_Bring those mental shields back up – 100. Can't let anything through – not even him._

He merely bellowed out a laugh, leaving her very confused.

"Well, nice to see you too, Mara. I must say, you are quite the radiant beauty tonight."

Of course, this lead to more arguing through their bond. Something Mara secretly enjoyed. Along with threatening to kill him, of course.

But she would never kill him. She knew she couldn't. She cared too much.

They stood there for a moment, Mara avoiding his eyes while he seemed to take his time gazing at her.

_Probably trying to read my thoughts. And see through my clothes. _

_Thoughts, maybe. But your clothes – would I really do that, Mara? Besides, one could see quite enough of you even with this dress on._

She fumed, her face turning nearly the same color as her red hair. He stepped closer to her, his breath faintly tickling her ear, making her stray locks of hair sway.

"You know, Mara, you seem quite bored, standing here with nothing to do but listen to these goofs babble on. Let me take care of that," he murmured. He smiled and grabbed her hand (which immediately seemed to heat at her touch), and led her to the dance floor, despite her protests.

_You got me this time, Skywalker. You just watch it._

She suddenly smiled.

* * *

I just fixed this chapter up. I hope you all noticed how I DELETED THE PART WITH THE CHEST HAIR! NOW, LUKE HAS NO MORE! YAY!

_FIN_


	5. He Was

* * *

"You know, Mara, when I first met you, I was deathly afraid of you." 

Mara took another swig from her drink, something from Corellia. Luke stared at her for a moment, before turning his face back to his mug. Of course, even if he was a bit intoxicated, he had no desire to make Mara uncomfortable if she caught him staring at her like a lovesick fool.

_Which is, of course, what I am. Now that I think about it. A lovesick fool who trusted the wrong people._

_Corellian ale sure tastes good. I wonder if Han has anymore stocked up._

"I know you were, farmboy. Everyone is afraid of me when they first meet me. Most are still scared to death of me for years after meeting me!" she nearly exploded, followed by a small hiccup that escaped from her alcohol drenched lips. Luke laughed aloud at her, gently rocking back and forth.

Back and forth. Back and forth.

Mara whirled around to face him, her features tightened in an aggravated state.

"And just _what_ are you laughing at, Skywalker!" she snapped, poking him fiercely with the bottle of corellian ale.

Luke help up his hands in mock surrender, smiling lazily as he did so.

"Just thinking Mara."

"Oh." She brought the bottle back to her lips, indulging in the taste of the bittersweet alcohol.

Luke found that he couldn't stop staring at her, no matter how hazy his vision seemed. He found himself thinking such thoughts that would _not_ be acceptable for a Jedi Master… or even a Jedi.

He noticed how flushed her usually pale skin became – probably because of the alcohol. He noticed the tight grip her hands had on the bottle, afraid to let go. It showed him how vulnerable she truly was – vulnerable and alone.

_Not anymore, she isn't. I can stop hoping that she'll come back to me. There's no point in hoping. Now's the time for me to focus on the people who care about me._

He observed the way she would constantly reach out to her tied up hair, that tight bun that Luke couldn't understand how it wasn't killing her head. He always preferred it when her hair was down, set loose. It was odd, really. Odd how Luke always found himself thinking about Mara's hair at the most unusual times. One of those times being during a lesson he was giving a while back here, at the Jedi Temple. It was a lesson where he was teaching the students to open their minds, and clear their thoughts.

Apparently, some of the students were already strong enough in the Force to see through Luke's at the time open mind. And, at the time, he was thinking of Mara's long, russet colored hair when she had let it down the day they had finally beaten the Dark Jedi clone of Jorrus C'Baoth. It was a day he knew that neither of them would ever forget.

He inwardly chuckled at the memory, his eyes smiling in the dimness of his outer balcony.

"I can practically hear your chuckling, farmboy. What's going on inside that head of yours?" she smirked, leaning back in her chair to get a better view of the Jedi Master.

"Nothing of your interests, Jade."

"Fine. I did want to ask you something, though. Why do you think she left you without telling you anything?" Mara questioned, taking a small sip of her drink. This caused Luke to freeze for a moment, his blood turning cold.

"I don't know, Mara. She left me without any note of where she was going, why she left me… she didn't say anything. Obviously she doesn't want to be found, wherever it is she's going. And it hurts, you know? Having a loved one (or what you thought was a loved one) just all of a sudden leave you and not bother to tell you why," he sighed dejectedly, placing his head in his hands.

"You know, Luke. This would be a good time to move on. Let's face it: she won't be coming back. The best thing for you to do now, Luke, is not to dwell on the past, but focus on the now," she replied, edging forward, and slowly taking a seat right next to Luke on the bench, wrapping an arm softly around him.

Silent tears began to form in his eyes. They didn't fall – no, he wouldn't let them. He wouldn't let Mara see how weak he really was.

He couldn't.

"It's funny, Mara. It's funny… how much it used to burn. It nearly killed me, when I found out she left without word. It burned day and night. I thought I wouldn't get over it. It burned so much.

"But it's gone. That burning. I've realized now that… the fire for Callista died a long time ago. Maybe even before she left, I don't know. In a sense, I'm glad she's gone. I had a thought (that I tried to ignore) from the beginning that we weren't for each other."

He shook his head, shaking the tears away and shaking the memories of Callista from his mind. For now it was over for them.

It was time for him to start anew.

To step out strong.

* * *

Yet another chapter in this series. I hope you all have noticed by now that these chapters are not necassarily in a particular order. They are simply glimpses into Luke and Mara's lives. Fluffy at times. Angsty at others. Maybe even humourous. 

_FIN_


	6. She Was

_

* * *

He sure does have good taste in liquor. That's a definite._

She took another gulp of her drink, Corellian ale, she thought. Though she knew she was here for his sake, she couldn't help but take some comfort in the foaming ale in the bottle she gripped so tightly.

"I knew you were afraid, farmboy. Almost everybody is, when they first meet me. It's after a few years, whether they are still afraid of me or not, is when I know if they're a friend or not," she had replied earlier to his "I was so afraid of you when I first met you" statement.

Afraid. They were always afraid of her.

And, quite frankly, she was starting to get quite fed up with it.

When she heard his laughter coming out from behind her, she turned around to face him angrily.

"And just _what_ are you laughing at, Skywalker!" she nearly yelled, her eyes narrowing in aggravation. She saw Luke hold up his hands in mock surrender, hoping to appease her.

Which did, for once.

"Just thinking, Mara," he had said lazily, smiling the whole time.

"Oh."

As he stared out into the open night sky, she took this time to sneak a glance at him. Only meant to be a quick glance, of course. But what started as a glance turned into nearly gawking.

Even without the alcohol intake he was having tonight, she could tell his thoughts and mind was out of… place. He seemed to be elsewhere. In a different galaxy, it seemed.

_Probably thinking of that little schutta who left him._

Light, wispy strands of blonde hair fell into his eyes, shielding the sadness and torment that she knew seemed to brew inside of them. He left his shirt a little unbuttoned at the top, showing bits of a glistening chest that Mara suddenly found herself wanting to lay her head on.

_Stop it. It's the alcohol that's making you think this. Stop it. _

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. Always, he was _always_ wearing those confounded black Jedi outfits of his! Didn't he own anything else besides black?

Mara could tell that his whole body, his whole system was about to just shut down.

_I need to help him._

She heard him chuckle lightly in his head. Of course. How could she ever forget that bond they shared?

"I can practically hear your chuckling, farmboy. What's going on inside that head of yours?" she smirked, leaning back in her chair to get a better view of the Jedi Master.

"Nothing of your interests, Jade."

"Fine. I did want to ask you something, though. Why do you think she left you without telling you anything?" Mara questioned, taking a small sip of her drink. For once, she was a little timid of overstepping the boundaries.

Usually it was Luke who was afraid of overstepping the boundaries.

"I don't know, Mara. She left me without any note of where she was going, why she left me… she didn't say anything. Obviously she doesn't want to be found, wherever it is she's going. And it hurts, you know? Having a loved one (or what you thought was a loved one) just all of a sudden leave you and not bother to tell you why," he sighed dejectedly, placing his head in his hands.

Mara just sat there for a moment, unsure of what to do. Never before had she seen Luke act like this – so dispassionately and so melancholy. It nearly broke her heart to see a friend of hers act like this.

And yes, she realized that he called him a friend.

"You know, Luke. This would be a good time to move on. Let's face it: she won't be coming back. The best thing for you to do now, Luke, is not to dwell on the past, but focus on the now," she replied, edging forward, and slowly taking a seat right next to Luke on the bench, wrapping an arm softly around him.

"It's funny, Mara. It's funny… how much it used to burn. It nearly killed me, when I found out she left without word. It burned day and night. I thought I wouldn't get over it. It burned so much.

"But it's gone. That burning. I've realized now that… the fire for Callista died a long time ago. Maybe even before she left, I don't know. In a sense, I'm glad she's gone. I had a thought (that I tried to ignore) from the beginning that we weren't for each other."

He pulled her into a tight embrace, nearly scaring her out of her wits. She slowly eased into the embrace, placing her arms lightly around his shoulders, playing with the soft hair at the nape of his neck.

"What would I do without you, Mara?" he asked hoarsely, pulling her tighter to him. As much as she wasn't used to this kind of contact, she somehow felt… comfortable in his arms.

Comfort. Something she hadn't felt in quite some time now.

"I don't know, Luke. Probably out in some lonely planet all by yourself somewhere. Much like this planet, really," she mused, her breath faintly tickling his ear as she spoke quietly to him. Soothing him like a child as best she could. She felt his smile.

"No, Mara. I'm not quite alone anymore. Not quite alone."

He softly leaned in, bringing his lips closer to her face.

And then, she felt it. A small warmth on her cheek.

"You're welcome, farmboy."

* * *

Hence, another chapter in. You all will really like the next two, I hope. They will pretty much be the climax of the story. If you could call it that.

It's a fanfiction sin to read without reviewing. I love that phrase.

_FIN_


	7. They Are

* * *

He was fighting a losing battle.

He always seemed to be, whenever it came to _her._

He saw her hiss like an angry, confined cat when he had cornered her with no way out of it.

"Mara, just listen to me for a minute! I'm not trying to hurt you! I'm trying to help you!" he exclaimed, running a shaky hand through his hair.

"By what, plaguing me with questions as soon as I get here, not even an hour after I've landed on this forsaken planet!" she heatedly replied, pointing out into the sunset horizon. It was a beautiful planet, really. The air was always fresh as you breathe in. The forests and woods were excellent for the Jedi training exercises Luke was so dedicated to.

"I know you like the planet, Mara. It gives you the same type of inner peace as it does for me," he said, stepping close to her, inching his way softly. One had to learn never to anger Mara Jade unless extremely necessary. She glared at him, biting her lip.

"And just how you know that one, Skywalker? Breaking into my thoughts again?" she growled, her green eyes narrowed to mere slits. Luke sighed in frustration, letting his exasperation show.

"No Mara, there's nothing to even break into!" he yelled, his eyes shut tight to hold back hot tears that wanted to stream down his face. Never before had anyone affect him so deeply. Not like this.

"There's more than you think, Skywalker. A lot more than you think," Mara muttered under her breath. He whipped around to face her.

"And how will I ever know that? I could never see your true self and your inner thoughts because you _never let me in!"_ he yelled out, his anger finally tipping over the edge. He kicked some nearby rubble, sending it flying in the air. Mara's eyes suddenly widened, confused at the sight in front of her. A Jedi Master falling to pieces.

Because of her.

He roughly pushed her against a moss covered wall, his arms on either side of her face on the wall. Mara gasped. Never before had he ever acted like this to her… letting her emotions get the better of him. She was… afraid. And yet… beginning to like this new, emotional side of Luke.

_Stop it! Stop thinking this!_

His eyes were nearly as black as the usual black Jedi outfit he was wearing, something Mara was _not_ overly fond of. His sandy colored hair fell gracefully into his eyes, nearly masking the anger stirring in his face, leaving Mara breathless with… what?

She didn't know. She couldn't know. She didn't want to know.

_No._

"And why should I let you in at all?" she snidely remarked, tipping her head up defiantly. She smirked, calmly masking her confused emotions behind that blank face of hers she always used. But it didn't work on Luke. It never did, to tell the truth. Suddenly, she wasn't feeling so strong… not… her usual… self…

"_This_ is why," he growled, swiftly (not to mention roughly) wrapping an arm around her waist, ignoring her protests.

"What… Skywalker!" she cried, desperately trying to escape from his grip.

"Afraid, are we Jade?" he murmured, his breathing shallow, his eyes burning.

"Never," she gasped, lashing an arm fiercely around his neck, unaware of her gesticulation.

"Good."

His lips came crashing down onto hers, relentless and brutally. Her eyes widened at the final feel of his lips, her protests came halfhearted.

_So this is what I've been wanting all along…_

She no longer cared. Let her emotions get the better of her. To hell with it.

She strapped both her arms around his neck, desperate for more contact. He complied all too willingly, his hands gripping almost painfully at her hips, pulling her even closer to him. He bruised her with every kiss he laid upon her.

She feverishly tugged at his hair, absorbing every touch and taste of him. Her hips grinded into his, their heat burning through their clothing. Luke never, in a million light years, would have thought that Mara Jade has so much passion worked up inside of her.

She drove her mouth even deeper into his, overtaken by her lustful emotions.

Or was it something more… like love?

_If this is love, then I never want to be without him again…_

Her feelings were suddenly shown to Luke – all of her inner thoughts and desires were aware to him now. There was no turning back. Not that it would have mattered.

And he found… ironically enough, that **he** was her top desire at the moment.

* * *

And finally! Forgive me for taking so bloody long to update... So much school work.. not enough time to write... Gah.

Anyway, I hope you all have noticed.. I changed the "chest hair" part in one of the earlier chapters.. I think it was 4 (?) I agree with everyone - Luke can't have chest hair.. ewie...

Next chapter shall come sooner... I hope..

_FIN_


	8. They Will

* * *

"If I've told you once, I've told you a million times – There is _no _way I am going to continue my Jedi training!" she exclaimed furiously, thrusting a long, pointed finger to his chest. He held up his hand in what seemed to be surrender.

"Mara! Would you just listen to me? I –"

"No, you listen to me, Skywalker! I don't want it, and I certainly don't need it!" she snapped, swiftly walking away from him; every step she took showing her frustration.

_She looks so beautiful._

Luke couldn't help but smile at himself as he watched her retreating figure. She seemed to walk into the sunset – her tight, pulled back hair was set loose past her shoulders by its owner. That long, fiery red hair was always his sole weakness.

In a few, simple strides he caught up with her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She flinched for a moment. But she never faced him.

"What do you want, Luke?" she asked in a tired, stressed voice. He chuckled as he studied her features for a moment. Her long hair framed a pale, oval face. A perfectly arched eyebrow was raised as she stared out into the lit up night of Coruscaunt. Jade green eyes were, most unfortunately, close shut from his view. Her full, red lips were slightly parted. Luke reached out with a tentative hand to touch those red lips.

"You're so ravishing when you're angry," he murmured in her ear, his breath slightly tickling. Her eyes opened wide. Suddenly loud, unending laughter erupted from her lips. He cracked into a warm smile.

"What do you want, Farmboy?" she asked again, this time using her affectionate nickname she had made for him all those years ago.

"To apologize, Mara. I'm sorry I keep bombarding you with all of this Jedi training business. It's just, you have such incredible talent, and I can't help but feel that you're going to put it all to waste and –"

She silenced him as she brought her lips to his. Luke immediately stopped talking, his thoughts now focused on a pair of gentle lips. He slowly brought a hand up to touch her hair – that weakness.

After a moment, she ended the few seconds' bliss with a light peck once more on his lips, leaving him hazy eyed and smiling.

"Let's not talk about this anymore, okay?" she quietly asked, wrapping her arms around him as she smiled. He stroked her cheek for a second.

"Okay. But I will talk to you about it later." She laughed at his persistence.

"Fine, Farmboy." He placed a warm arm around her small waist as they slowly walked back inside the apartment, together.

Strong.

* * *

And so it ends... this particular story, anyway.

I hope you all have enjoyed it. Please review on it.

_FIN_


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